TOKYO: A group of researchers in their study found that a fermented soybean dish often served for breakfast in Japan, can prove to be effective against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Researchers from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) found that the extract made from the sticky, strong smelling natto may inhibit the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to infect cells. Natto is made by fermenting soybeans with Bacillus subtilis, a bacteria found in plants and in soil.

"Traditionally, Japanese people have assumed that natto is beneficial for their health," said Tetsuya Mizutani, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Research at the TUAT. "In recent years, research studies have revealed scientific evidence for this belief. In this study, we investigated natto's antiviral effects on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, and bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1), which causes respiratory disease in cattle," Mizutani added. The findings were published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.

The team prepared two natto extracts from the food, one with heat and one without. They applied the extracts to sets of lab-cultured cells from cattle and from humans. One set was infected with SARS-CoV-2, while the other set was infected with BHV-1.

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